Meet the New Creative Director behind David Beckham's Menswear Label

Get to know—and get excited about—Daniel Kearns, the new guy overseeing Kent & Curwen

David Beckham's relationship with the natty British menswear operation Kent & Curwen just keeps getting better. On Monday, the soccer-star-turned-designer revealed that the brand has appointed Daniel Kearns as its creative director.

If that name doesn't ring any bells right now, give it time. Kearns is a considerably talented menswear aficionado and Beckham plans to leverage his skills into an expansion—and improvement—of the menswear label. And Kearns certainly has the chops to do it: he was previously the artistic director at the upscale French label Facconable, and before that he did stints with everyone from Ermenegildo Zegna to Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, and John Galliano.

Hiring Kearns is part of an overall strategy to bring Kent & Curwen to a bigger, younger audience. Beckham and Kearns want to add a relaxed, (read; more casual) component to the company's suits and luxe sportswear. They also want to open more stores in the States. (The 113 stores Kent & Curwen operates now are mostly in China, but a London flagship is in the works, and so are locations in New York, Miami, and Milan.)

"From our first meeting I felt Daniel understood the real potential of Kent & Curwen," Beckham said in an interview with WWD. "We share the same vision for the brand and it's going to be enjoyable trying to realize that ambition. Daniel has an impressive track record working for some of the leading men's wear fashion houses in Europe, and will be a strong addition to the team. I look forward to working with him closely."

The move also means one of the many open chairs in menswear's peculiar Game of Thrones has been claimed: Kent & Curwen had been without a leader since last October, when Simon Spurr jumped ship for Gieves & Hawkes. But there's still the matter of the vacancies at Berluti (Alessandro Sartori left earlier this month to go to Zegna), Brioni (Brendan Mullane left just a few weeks ago, deciding not to renew his contract after just three years), Dunhill (John Ray said last week that he would leave the British clothier).